Thief
by La Copine
Summary: Kai is one of the best thieves around. She makes the biggest payoff of her career only to find her plans messed up when a necessity forces her to board the ship of one of the meanest princes the Fire Nation ever produced.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit." The figure dressed in black cursed and dashed around the corner of the alley, agilely jumping over the crates and pots blocking the road.

"Quick, stop that dirty thief!" A gruff voice yelled not too far away in the distance. The said 'dirty' thief decided that now was the time to pour on the coals and ran as fast as those legs could run.

The figure managed to keep ahead a few blocks until the sea side was in view. The thief grinned triumphantly, but the grin quickly faded as an enormous guard jumped in front of the path, wielding an enormous halberd.

"Stop right there, you scoundrel!" He roared and swung with the weapon.

As quick as a flash the thief bared their weapon, one of the pair of chained commas that was placed on the figure's hip, and used it to hook onto an over lying beam. The grin was back in place.

"I think not!" The thief boasted, swinging on the chain and kicking the guard squarely in the chest. The figure swung up and landed on the beam, pulling out the comma and continuing the chase on the flat roof tops of the town.

"He's on the roof!"

"How'd he get up there?"

"Not human, he is!"

The thief rolled their eyes. Stupid yokels…

The thief garbed in black saw the sparkling water of the ocean lying in their path. It was so close but yet so far…

"Yikes!" The thief gasped as an arrow went soaring over their right ear, missing their head by inches. It was then they made a b-line towards the coast, reaching it in a matter of seconds.

The thief jumped boldly off the top of the house and landed on a bag of flour, sending a white cloud over everyone and everything close.

"Where'd he go?"

"That crafty bastard!"

"We'll get him!"

"Wait!" One guard yelled and pointed out to the open sea. "Is that him?"

Indeed it was. For the thief in black was easily seen kicking and swimming into the waves of the rough ocean.

"Surely he can't plan on swimming it?" Another guard yelled frantically.

At this, one of his fellows burst out laughing. "Swim it? All the way to another nation? We'll have wanted posters of him scattered everywhere in a day's time! He'll never be safe!"

The rest of the guards began laughing heartily, laughing even harder where they saw a rain cloud blowing towards the surf. But really, one guard was only laughing because everyone else was…

The thief coughed and kicked harder in the salty waves to remain on course. No, there was no plan on swimming to another island. This thief was craftier than that… Give them some credit.

The black-clad rogue was just beginning to loathe the taste of salt water when they spotted the boat in the distance. The steely grin was back, but vanished as sea water rushed into their mouth.

The thief pulled themself over the side of the boat, gasping for breath and blinked the stinging water out of their eyes.

"Well, that went well…" The thief said and sat up, a gloved hand straying to the back of the masked head where the disguise was laced up.

After throwing the sopping wet mask on the row boat's floor, the thief blinked and let her hair out of its tight bun, the wet locks falling and sticking to her face. This was the thief that snuck into the palace of an Earth Nation lord, stole a valuable artifact from his chambers, and was able to tell the tale.

This **girl**.

She smirked and relished the memory of fooling those dumb guards into thinking she was a man. Now it would only be too easy to just readjust into her next target without being suspected. The girl fumbled slightly as she opened the tube she had strapped on her back, dumping a very shiny object into her greedy fingers.

"And here we have the Earth lord's scepter…" She smirked, twirling the heavily jeweled, solid gold rod between her long, quick fingers. Her smirk deepened as she calculated how much it would fetch for on the market… Oh, it was a lot.

She quickly yet carefully packed it into a large bag, grabbing an oar and began rowing towards her next destination. She did not see the large purple storm cloud making its way quickly over her right shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

The exiled prince rubbed his temples in frustration, attempting to tune out his uncle's chattering and the roar of the raging storm outside. The maps in front of him were all leading to no where, and he was still unable to track the Avatar's course. He gritted his teeth together angrily.

"Well, we're running low on tea so I suggest we stop by a port before continuing…" Iroh teetered on, stroking his goatee.

Just when Zuko felt he was going to snap, there was a knock on the door. His golden eyes looked up almost gratefully at the iron door.

"Yes, what is it?" He snapped testily as the door opened to reveal his lieutenant.

"Prince Zuko, we've found a stowaway on board. What should we do?" He asked halfheartedly.

The prince sighed. "Send them in…"

The lieutenant opened the door wider to allow two other crew mates to drag a crumbled body by the elbows further into the room. It was sopping wet, and dressed in a pitch black tunic with long tresses of white hair hanging low in their face.

Zuko stood from his seat at the long table and crossed the room to the stowaway. He attempted to look at the face without touching the body, but found it next to impossible with all the hair in their face.

Seeing the prince's frustration, one of the men holding the body grabbed the mass if hair and pulled the head back, but when he saw the face, he recoiled as if burned. Zuko didn't blame him; it wasn't often a girl snuck onto the ship.

He snapped his fingers and the crew men dropped the girl to the floor, where she attempted to prop her self up weakly. Zuko looked at her with pity, but no sympathy.

"There was also a bag found on her, sir." His lieutenant continued, throwing a long and thoroughly wet bag onto the table. He then excused himself and left the three alone.

Iroh quickly turned the bag towards himself, smiling. "I wonder what a stowaway has in a bag, hmm…" He poked carefully around the object as Zuko turned back towards the sea battered girl.

"Who are you and why are you on my ship?" He asked briskly.

The girl remained silent, still trying to stand to her feet but her body was shaking with weakness. Zuko rolled his eyes, walked over to the girl and nudging her with his foot. She easily rolled onto her back, sprawled out pathetically on the floor as he stood over her threateningly.

"I won't ask again." He growled. "Who are you and why are you on my ship?"

"T-the storm…" She stammered and spat out a mouthful of water. "It capsized my row boat…"

Iroh looked up quizzically from rummaging through its contents. "You mean to say you got on _after _the storm hit us? How on earth-?"

"You'll find… A comma with a grappling chain in the bag." The girl sputtered tiredly.

"And you climbed up the side?" Iroh gaped almost admiringly and rummaged around in the bag. "Oh, found them…" He pulled out the weapons she had described and dropped them on the table.

Zuko raised a brow disbelievingly. "What were you doing out on the open ocean in a _row boat?"_

He heard a faint scoff escape her lips. "What are _you_ doing on a ship? Obviously, I was traveling."

Zuko frowned and opened his mouth to give a haughty reply, but his uncle interrupted him.

"What are you doing with this?" The old man voiced and held up a long tube. He threw it to his nephew, who dumped it into his open palm. As his golden eyes took in the object, he felt his temper flare.

"How did _you_ get a scepter from the Earth Nation?" He hissed and slammed the priceless object on the table.

"Don't break it!" The girl snapped harshly.

"Answer me or I will!" Zuko retorted threateningly.

"A-a friend gave it to me!" She said hurriedly.

Zuko frowned and held it with both hands as if to snap it in half.

"Fine! I stole it!" She gasped, exasperated.

"You stole it?" Zuko growled and put the royal item down. "Do you realize what you've done? You just brought a sacred Earth Nation artifact aboard a Fire Nation ship! Do you realize who they're gonna blame?"

"Do I look like I care?" The girl fired back angrily. "It's _my_ scepter and if you damage it you'll regret the day you were born!"

Zuko smirked venomously. "Too late. Guards, take her to the cells!"

As she was drug roughly out of the room, Zuko dropped the scepter back into the case, staring at it from across the table. He had to hide or get rid of it somewhere, or else the Earth Nation would blame his father and just send him into a deeper shame…

Iroh sighed and pushed the bag aside. "She seemed like a troubled youth… Whoever she was."

It was only then that Zuko realized she had avoided his most important question. Just who in the hell did he let on his ship?


	3. Chapter 3

The girl was thrown onto a rough cotton bunk inside the prison cell. The crewmen stared curiously at her as they locked the iron door to her cell behind them, leaving the room quickly. As soon as the door snapped shut, the thief opened her eyes wearily.

"Well, this is quite a predicament…" She murmured and looked around. Her jail cell was scant and bare, the bed being the only piece of furniture. There were thick iron bars separating her from the rest of the room, and everything seemed to be made to keep her in.

Too bad she was no good with iron bars.

Even though the thief was still tired and fatigued from her fight with the sea, there was one more battle to be fought. She stood weakly from the cot and tripped over to the iron door after fishing a small pick from her pocket. She wrapped her arm around the iron door and fit the pick into the lock and got to work.

The lock didn't budge.

"What's wrong with this thing?" She complained in a raspy dry voice. She jiggled the pick roughly and felt her stomach drop when she felt a snap. Frowning, she discarded the broken lock pick and crawled back to the rough cot. "Stupid lock…"

The girl stared at the ceiling until sleep quickly consumed her weary, haggard mind and rested her tired body. She dreamed she was holding a long golden scepter and wearing a matching crown, while pounding the daylights out of her least favorite Fire prince.

Iroh walked down the hall the next morning, already noticing the increase in morale after the storm passed. He walked carefully down the hall, making sure not to drop the item in his hand.

Eventually, he got to the door he was looking for and opened it quickly with his keys. As he pushed open the door to the 'brig', two things caught his eyes. One was the prisoner curled up with her back to the wall, her face hidden in her arms. The other was the fragments of a broken lock pick in the lock and on the floor.

"I knew you were going to be a handful." The ex-general chuckled and pulled a chair up to the bars, sitting noisily. "Not here for one day and you've already got my nephew in a fluster and attempted to escape."

"Just wait until my real escape attempt." She mumbled and clenched her fists.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. My nephew runs a tight ship." He replied, grinning. Iroh reached through the bars while holding a tall clay cup. "You're probably thirsty. Knowing my nephew he most likely locked you down here with no water."

The girl looked up as he said this and stared at the cup, a hungry gleam in her eyes. She stood from her seat on the cot and crossed the short distance, taking the water from Iroh carefully so as to not spill a drop.

The old man shook his head, smiling, as the girl drank the whole cup of water in a matter of seconds. She set the glass down, wiping her mouth on her sleeve, and gave him a confused look.

"So, what's up with your nephew? He's a little harsh. And coming from someone in my line of work, that's saying something." She stated indifferently.

"Ah, Zuko has a lot on his mind." Uncle nodded curtly. "He's obsessed with catching the Avatar, and he's proving to be a handful as well." The white haired girl stroked her chin thoughtfully, leaning against the wall. Iroh smirked.

"Now it's my turn to ask the questions. What's your name?" He asked quickly.

She smiled gently and straightened up. "My name's Kai."

"Kai? Is that short for something?"

"Yes. But no one calls me that name. So now it's just Kai." She explained. Kai looked around the small cell, sighing. "So, how long will I be locked up in here?"

Iroh shrugged. "It is up for my nephew to decide."

Kai sighed. "Could you possibly tell me if prisoners get bathroom breaks?"

"What?" He blurted, then he flushed. "Oh, yes, of course."

She remained silent as Iroh unlocked the door, and placed wrist irons on her before leading her out into the hall. It was a short walk to the bath room, and when they got there, Iroh had to lock the door behind her.

As soon as the door shut, Kai looked around the bath room for something sharp. In a little chest she found a few tooth brushes and a wooden comb, which she quickly pocketed. She also found someone's razor blade and that, too, went into the folds of her tunic.

She knocked on the door and heard the jingling of keys as Iroh unlocked it. She smiled as he walked her back to the brig.

"I'd really like to thank you for treating me so nice." Kai said softly. She really did mean it. Conversations were hard to come by. Especially without being spit on.

"Haha, no need to thank me." He replied and opened the door to her cell. Iroh shut and locked the door to her cell and left her for the night. Kai pulled out the razor blade and began sharpening it on the flattest stone she could find amongst the junk left in her cell. Her eyes flicked over to the small port hole in the side of her cell, waiting until all she could see was pitch black.

She stood up and broke the teeth off the wooden comb, sticking it into the lock. She realized how lucky she was that they didn't take away her black clothes when they made her their prisoner. It was a shame that she lost her hood; running around on the deck of a ship with white hair could be considered a large disadvantage. But she would have to make due.

The lock came open and she walked over to the door to the brig, quietly testing out the knob. She rolled her eyes when she found it was unlocked.

'They mustn't get a very high class of criminal' she thought as she slipped out the door and down the hall.

Her progress was very slow. Moving carefully and quietly and freezing when she heard the sound of voices. She found herself at the large iron door she assumed lead to the Prince's rooms. Knowing the Prince, he would've taken the scepter to his chambers while contemplating what to do with it.

Kai sucked in a breath of air and opened the door, pulling out the razor to make sure the room wasn't occupied. Luckily for her, it wasn't. She entered the room as quietly as she could, making her way to the large table with maps covering it. She peaked through a large, ornate trunk before spotting a desk across the room.

She stole across the room towards the desk and quickly saw the large bottom drawer requiring a key. Kai saw herself with two options: unlock the drawer and possibly compromise her freedom or leave without the scepter.

Unfortunately, a trait common amongst thieves is greed. This is also true with Kai. Despite the amount of time spent already, she stayed and attempted to pick the lock. She quickly saw that the lock was going to be very difficult as it was for a very tiny key. She bit her bottom lip and used one of the small and fragile teeth left on the comb to pick it. If it broke inside, there'd be no second chances…

The drawer opened and Kai released the breath she'd been holding. On top of a pile of papers was the container with the golden scepter safely inside. She grabbed it and walked out the door, trying to remember the way to the deck.

After a few close calls and one or two wrong turns, she finally found herself at the bottom of a flight of stair that she knew led to the deck. She had just touched the first step when an alarm began to sound.

"Shit!" Kai whispered, running up the steps, flinging open the door, and sprinting across the deck. She heard the sounds of many footsteps behind her as she ran towards the side of the boat, where she remembered seeing a life boat.

It was then that a fire ball went past her head out into the open sea. Kai pulled out the razor blade, holding it against her arm and ready for an attack. She almost lost her nerve when she saw the amount of Fire Nation soldiers-a good two dozen-and at least a third of them were Fire Benders.

"Back away from the life boat or face the wrath of the Fire Nation!" A soldier yelled. Kai felt her knees shaking. She had heard what that wrath was; it was told to little kids all throughout the Nations to make sure they did as their parents told them. This was the first time that she had ever been faced with it.

She took an involuntary step back. The Fire Nation soldiers took a step forward, making Kai rethink her options. Drop the scepter, jump for the boat. Keep the scepter, jump for the boat, possibly die.

Kai dropped the scepter to deck and kicked it towards the crowd. She didn't look back as she jumped towards the edge of the boat, but was pulled back by her collar and landed on the deck floor. The Fire Nation thug that grabbed her immediately found a foot in his face as she scrambled to her feet.

Another lunged forward and she brought her knee up to meet his stomach and pushed him back into the crowd. Kai figured she would attempt to inch her way back to the boat while attempting to keep them at bay.

Then, from the back of the crowd, the Prince shoved his way to the front. Flames surrounded his fists and it was obvious he was furious. Kai weighed her options.

She dropped the razor blade to the ground and kicked it towards a soldier, holding her hands in front of her. Handcuffs were immediately placed on her as two guards grabbed both arms and began to lead her away.

"See to it she can't escape this time." The Prince growled.

Kai blinked away her tears and looked up at the sky; she had a feeling she wasn't going to see it for a very, very long time.


	4. Chapter 4

The guards found that Kai was a very complacent prisoner the second time around. She didn't fight when she was drug down to the brig, nor when they padded her down (something she would've normally slapped someone for), nor when they confiscated her weapons for the second time.

When they finally stuffed her back in her small cell, she found she didn't have the strength to even dream of escape. She stayed where she fell; sprawled out on the metal floor, staring up at the ceiling and just wondering. Wondering why this had to happen. Wondering why her life sucked.

She didn't have long to wonder. Prince Zuko stomped into the room, banishing the guards and staring at the form on the floor. When she didn't move he began pacing the floor, looking everywhere else in the room but her.

"What do you want?" She said finally.

"Just who the hell are you?" Zuko fumed and slammed his fist on an iron table. "Who the hell do you think you are coming aboard my ship with an incriminating artifact and attempting to escape and make me look like a fool?" Kai snapped her head up and locked eyes with him.

"I'm a poor kid who needs the money!" She snarled and began to struggle to her feet. "And if you think you can stand here in the lap of luxury and tell me I'm wrong, then you can go fuck yourself!"

"How dare you!" Zuko growled. Kai paid no heed to his comment, grabbing the bars to her cell and shaking them.

"Do you know what it's like to be hungry?" She yelled. "I bet the plates you eat off of could buy an entire family food for a month! Society hates people like me because we target people like you who wouldn't even notice if something was missing! You're an absolute spoiled brat! Fuck you! Fuck you and your goddamn crew! I hate all of you!"

Kai had no power over the tears that fell from her eyes or the sobs that racked her body and caused her to fall to the ground. Zuko stood motionless for a few moments, trembling with rage. He wanted to slap her for her insolence. How dare she mock his status? How dare she speak to him in such a way?

He felt flames begin to bloom the skin on his shoulders, growing with his anger. What did he care about rabble like this thief? These people only had one thought and that was how much they could get without doing as much work as possible. He turned to leave; there was no point in talking to her. The only thing these people understood was…

Money.

He turned slowly back to the girl still sobbing on the floor. When he cleared his throat she didn't quiet, and it pained him to actually say this.

"Is there anything that you require to make yourself more comfortable?" Zuko asked, the words tasting like ash in his mouth.

Kai looked up, her eyes red and her face contorted into a snarl. It looked like she was about to fire an acidic retort at him, but the words died in her mouth when she saw the look on his face. Chuckling, she shakily got to her feet and sat tiredly on the bed.

"A bath." She laughed. "And some new clothes. And some food and water, I'm starving."

Zuko gritted his teeth and nodded, leaving the room feeling his pride take another blow as he did. After a luxurious bath in a mountain of bubbles and hot water, Kai was brought a spare tunic. She wrinkled her nose at the Fire Nation colors, but put her grudge aside seeing as the only other option was to be naked. And that is never a wise thing to do when on a ship. She was ushered down a few halls, this time her escorts did not touch her or handle her roughly. Eventually, they stepped ahead of her and opened the large metal doors to a dining room.

Kai could feel herself beginning to salivate when her eyes spied a long metal table laden with all kinds of food; barbequed pork, meat buns, fried rice, fruits, steamed vegetables, and piles upon piles of desserts. She sat down at the table, not even bothering to grab a plate, and grabbed a leg of a large bird and began ripping large chunks of it off with her teeth.

"Haha! I see you've helped yourself! Saves me from having to wait."

Kai's head snapped up from her food and she locked eyes with General Iroh and she immediately grinned. Iroh sat down next to her and grabbed a plate. She swallowed her mouthful of food and wiped the grease of her mouth with a napkin before speaking.

"I was wondering when I'd see you again." She said with a smirk. "Your nephew hasn't kept me very good company."

"I wouldn't expect him to after you tried to escape," Iroh retorted through a mouthful of rice.

Kai grinned and took a bite of food. "Thief code says I need to at least attempt an escape. I've seen how far I can go now and I just have to calculate how to get even farther."

"What makes you think you'll be able to?"

"Trial and error. You won't kill me and you won't let me go; I have to do something. And if I can figure out how to get a little farther, I'll soon be off this junker."

Iroh smiled. "Soon you'll find that this 'junker' isn't so bad. And maybe you don't have to escape to get off of it."

"Is that what this is all about?" Kai asked and gestured to her clothes and the mountain of food.

Iroh was about to reply before a door was opened and Prince Zuko stepped into the room. He smiled. In Kai's opinion, it was a smile like poisoned honey.

"Enjoying your food?" He asked politely. Kai grunted and took a barbaric bite of meat. The corner of his smile twitched.

"I'd like to apologize for the rough handling and poor treatment shown to you earlier. Those who inflicted it have been dealt with." He said and sat down across from her at the table. Kai eyed him.

"You look untouched to me." She growled. He gritted his teeth.

"Your things have been placed in one of our guest rooms that is for your use during the rest of your stay." He said, attempting to swallow his anger.

"Oh, is my scepter there as well?" Kai asked with false sweetness.

"No." Zuko replied shortly. "Your scepter is stolen property and will be returned to its owner."

"Hm." Kai sighed and folded her hands. "I'd be more than willing to sell it to you. If not, I can guarantee you that I'll be able to take it from you. If I got past an entire Earth Kingdom guard, what makes you thing you and your crew will stand a chance?"

"I have something better to offer you." Zuko said with a smirk. "Something much better."

"Is this the part where you offer me a job in which I can earn my scepter back?" Kai asked and flicked a pea off a plate.

Zuko grimaced and leaned forward. "Forget about the scepter. I have a fortune of gold at my disposal and if you can do something for me, I will be willing to give it to you."

Kai perked up. "Exactly how much are we talking here?"

"Think the scepter tenfold." Zuko grinned. "And all you have to do is help me capture the Avatar."

Kai's smiled dropped. "You want me to what?"

"I am on a mission that has taken me years. I am charged with capturing the Avatar and taking him to my father."

"I don't know if you understand exactly what it is I do." Kai said rather haughtily and leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. "I am a thief: I break into people's homes and take whatever they have. I am a master of silence, lock picking, and remaining unseen. None of these talents will aid you in kidnap."

"You can find a target and gather information," Zuko argued. "And you're a new face. Find him and get half the money. Capture him for me too and get all of it."

Kai picked up a yellow apple and took a small bite from it, chewing thoroughly as her eyes stared at the table's surface. She sighed.

"Give me 70% 0f what you've got and I'll find him and lead you to him. I'll make it fool proof so there's no way you could mess it up." She said and stood. Zuko opened his mouth to reply angrily but Kai waved it away. "Those are my conditions. Until the job is done, my services are yours. I won't kill for you, but my blades are yours as are my deft fingers. Call on me when you need me."

She snatched up her apple from the table, took a large bite, and gestured for a guard to lead her to her room. She walked out without a glance back.

Iroh laughed and belched. "Well, Zuko. She may be a thief, but she sure does know how to make an exit."

Zuko did not reply as flames began to build from his clenched fists.


End file.
